These 2 mistake are -
Expecting Behaviours.
Accepting Behaviours.
What I am noticing more and more often these days, is new dog owners expecting and accepting a dogs behaviour because of its age or breed.
This is directly resulting in people with new puppies struggling with such things as barking, nipping, jumping and anxiety as a dog gets to the tender age of 8+ months and the issues start to get really out of control.
The unfortunate thing about the modern day dog training and dog behaviours is the endless amount of information available. Google absolutely anything and you will find an overwhelming amount of results.
What we all seem to do in recent times with dogs and training them is we narrow down our searches, and research specific breed behaviours and what to expect and specific ages and behaviours to expect.
Soooo much emphasis on dog breed and their specific breeds behaviours is out there. Too much. So much so that most initial client phone calls I get go like this -
"Hi, I have a Dachshund and the barking is now too much and I need help, I knew getting a dashy, it was going to be a barker and yappy dog because all dashy are, but it's now out of control."
"Hi, I have a staffy and it's 10 months old and it's basically out of control. I know all Staffy's are excitable and have heaps of energy and are strong, but the jumping now hurts everyone who comes over and the pulling on the lead has made walks horrible. It's destroying everything."
"Hi, I have a Border Collie and the reactivity on a lead is getting bad, they were never like this 6 months ago, but it's now 18 months old and it can't be near other dogs. The only control I have sometimes is if I have a ball to throw otherwise it won't focus on me. I knew getting a border collie they were energetic dogs that needed lots and lots of exercise, but I now have no control in public where I want to exercise them. At home they are great."
What's happened here is the Dachshund owner expected and accepted barking from a young age and allowed it to happen and it just kept getting worse. The staffy owner excepted and accepted excited and crazy behaviour from a young age and it's still happening because it doesn't know any better. The Border Collie owner focused on physical exercise from a young age and didn't focus more on the mental exercise the dog really required.
The same goes for age! The quote I hear THAT DRIVES ME CRAZY the most with people and young dogs is "But He/She is still a puppy"
Too many people expect and accept behaviours of puppies that you would absolutely never want as an older dog.
No one wants to own a dog that bites/nips, barks a lot, jumps on everyone, destroys things etc. but for so many people they expect and accept this behaviour because they "are still a puppy".
If you allow this stuff to happen when your dog is a puppy (even just for the first few weeks of having a puppy, literally from the ages of 8 - 12 weeks) your puppy will learn this to be acceptable behaviour.
Let the puppy play nip you, bark at you and everything that moves, chew on the 20 different random toys you got it so it cannot distinguish these from a remote control or wallet or sunglasses, let it jump on all the guests that come around as they sit on the floor letting the puppy jump all over them and lick their face in an overstimulated mental state.... EXPECT THIS BEHAVIOUR TO GET WORSE before it ever goes away. Puppies do not miraculously go from pup to adult immediately at the strike of midnight on their 1st birthday and the "puppy" behaviours vanish.
There are absolutely different developmental stages as a puppy grows up, and there are definitely breeds that have specific behaviours more present than other breeds, but they're all dogs. The issues I deal with as a dog trainer are all the same, regardless of the breed or age. They jump, react on lead, dig, chew everything, bark all day and too much, get aggressive, reactive on a lead, get separation anxiety, act like idiots when the dog bell rings and people visit, have little to no recall. These issues could be a 6 month old kelpie, 8 year old German Shepherd, Almost all Inbred French Bulldogs, 3 Year old Golden Retriever, 5 Year old Chihuahua... I can go and on and on and on.
Basically, the moment you see a behaviour you absolutely do not want your dog to have for its whole life, start working on training this behavior away. This starts from the moment you get a dog regardless of the breed or age. Watch a few videos, read some info on it and use a strategy or method that you feel comfortable with. Start off with very short training sessions and aim for small consistent progress. Be patient because it takes repetition and consistency.
Seeking the help from a reputable dog trainer is obviously something I'd always recommend being a dog trainer myself. If you do want to go down the trainer path, just be sure to call around and find one that feels right for you. Don't trust online reviews as these are so easy to manipulate or simply buy.
Remember a dog trainer will guide you and show you what to do to help your issues, it's up to you to dedicate to the training. A Personal Trainer can show you how to lose weight and get in shape, but it's up to you to consistently do the work! Do not hire a dog trainer if you cannot commit to a 12 month gym membership. Going to the gym 4 times in the first week, 2 times in the second week, 1 time in the 4th week and never again will NOT get you results you signed up for. Your dog is your responsibility, your body is your responsibility. Some people simply chose to go into professions to help with what they believe in and care about. I should not care about your dog more than you care about your dog.
Anyway...
Remember, your dog is a dog. Yes we humans have domesticated them to live amongst us, but they are still just a dog.
All a dog is capable of doing is being a dog. So when a dog does something we don't like, the dog is being a dog because that's all it know. Guess what dogs naturally and instinctively do? Bark, jump, dig, chew, bite, hump each other, piss on things, show their teeth, growl, get hackles up, do zoomies. They do dog things.
Dogs don't have to do all of these behaviours if they are sufficiently trained and given plenty of mental and physical exercise. If you kindly and calmly guide and train a dog, gain it's trust and prove to this dog that you are in control and will always keep it safe, these natural behaviours can be under control.
If you do not sufficiently train and give plenty of mental and physical exercise to a dog, the dog will default into being a dog and do dog things that are natural and instinctive to a dog.
Dog.
Give your dog a pat for me!
Cheers, Scott
Comments